Give and Forgive

Some people give and forgive, others get and forget. - Richard Murray

God spared David's life from Saul and gave him the kingdom of Israel and Judah, but as soon as David laid eyes on Bathsheba, he forgot all about God. Hmm!

Here's a quick quiz. Look at your surroundings - are you "great-full" or grateful? The God we serve has said repeatedly He is willing to give us all good things "no good thing will He withhold from His children.' It's ironic that we, being made in the image of God; wherein we possess His character traits, seem to have more a desire to get than to give. God is not against the 'abundant' life, but the abundance He speaks of is in joyful relationships, not things. Relationship with Him and with those He places in our lives - those we would be willing to share our lives with. It's virtually impossible to love someone and not be willing to forgive them a trespass. The good thing is that in spite of what David did, God still forgave him. Our challenge today is to be more like our Heavenly Father.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"Remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'it is more blessed to give than to receive.'" - Acts 20:35

The Faith Way of Life

What a friend we have in Jesus….’ – song refrain

Enoch and God were such good walking buddies God just took him home one day and kept him. Hmm!

To many Christians, ‘faith’ is a verbal profession or confession, but not really a way of life. Jesus is looking for the latter rather than the former. He knows those who ‘profess’ him with their lips but their heart is far from him. The question we must continually ask ourselves is, whether our acquaintance with the Master is a passing fad (something to do like everyone else), or rather the very touchstone of our lives. Jesus doesn’t want us to be run-of-the-mill, follow the crowd kind of people. We’re to be “new creations” each and every day. Just as we know that it’s hard to be friends and hang out with someone you don’t have a lot in common with, Jesus knows it too. Are you willing to walk with him wherever He chooses to lead, or will you only allow Him to lead you in the direction you’ve already decided to go? He’s waiting!

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“…If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.” – Luke 9:23

P.S. - God saw fit to take my mom home yesterday. Your prayers are truly appreciated.

Smooth Transitions

God does not hear us because of the length of our prayers, but because of the sincerity of them. - Charles Spurgeon

The tax collector's 7-word prayer "God, have mercy on me, a sinner," was answered not because of simplicity but his humility. Hmm!

Clutch, shift, gas....go! When done properly it is a smooth, rarely noticeable activity. The car just rolls along with traffic. When not done smoothly you get a lot of herky-jerky movement and maybe even stalling out. Sometimes we may feel like this in our prayer life, we're stalling out in our attempts, sputtering in our words, hit and miss, not connecting, and becoming frustrated. It might be we're just not trusting and relying on the Holy Spirit. He is our go between, and He becomes ever more effective when we stutter or grope for what we truly need or want to say to God. He takes those moments and interprets them to make a smooth transition for us, as He knows the thoughts and intentions of our heart. So friend, don't fret and please don't stop praying. Just trust the Holy Spirit will get the message through.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"...before a word is on my tongue you, Lord know it completely...." - Psalm 139:4

Broad Shoulders to Carry Closet Prayers

The closet of prayer is where burdens change shoulders. – Anon

Jesus was constantly in prayer with His Father. The results were clearly evident to all.

Though we are “God’s Children” when facing everyday life, for most of us it seems sometimes we are always overwhelmed, under-prepared, and under a great deal of pressure or stress. It’s true we sometimes get perplexed, persecuted and troubled, etc., but not all the time. We serve a God who is stronger than any situation or circumstance this world can conjure up, and He’s always waiting to hear from us. Whatever we face today we should let the one with broader shoulders (GOD) take care of it for us. He’s waiting in the closet!

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” – Matthew 6:6

Forgiveness, Pass It On!

Forgiveness is man's deepest need and highest achievement. - H. Bushnell

Joseph, Esau. Just two men able to forgive great wrongs put upon them by their kin. Amen!

"They make me so mad!" "I can't stand him/her!" We've all heard statements like these... and probably made them ourselves. Why can't we forgive someone? It's only because we feel God hasn't forgiven us! Yes, make no mistake about it, forgiving is hard work, but God's abounding grace makes it totally possible. But it only works to the extent of our belief in God forgiving us. So, the question becomes: how much forgiveness have we received? God freely gives it, but doesn't force it on us, so it's up to us to believe and receive it. True we don't really deserve it, but God gives it freely upon our repentances. And it's only when we truly receive it that we can pass it on to others. So why can't we forgive this/that person? If our heart is clogged with bitterness, anger, resentment, or past hurts, grace abounds to reopen it. Oh, and once again - it's FREE!

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"If anyone says 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen." - I John 4:20

All Aboard!

If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction. – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Abraham left his homeland and his people looking for a new home. God finally showed it to him. Hmm!

If you could go anywhere, where would you like to go? Not in terms of vacation or sightseeing, but in terms of your life. See, the truth of the matter is we are actually on that journey right now whether we realize it or not. We are all traveling inevitably toward the ends of our lives. The journey started from the day we were born and continues day by day. Life is a lot of ‘doing’ but the question confronting us is have we figured it out yet, selected a destination, and began steering our course; or are we still allowing ourselves to be pushed along with the tide or crowd, letting others determine where we’ll end up. The choice is entirely up to us, but we must know the end always comes much, much sooner than we expect.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“When I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” – Ecclesiastes 2:11

A Faith That Carries On

Sometimes carrying on, just carrying on, is the superhuman achievement. – A Camus

Zarephath had little to offer the poor widow, yet she stayed. Then Elijah showed up. AMEN!

You either admire them or call them crazy! Who – those who willingly live in places where seasonal weather (tornadoes, hurricanes) is prone to wreak havoc in your livelihood. They stay faithfully, trusting everything will be okay. And even when disaster strikes, they stay, rebuild, and reclaim their lives. A better analogy for true faith is hard to find. Everyone of us in our faith walk will have a crisis or two, a tempest or major storm such as a serious illness, marital difficulties, job loss, family discord or other setbacks that threaten our sense of well-being. This is where faith is tested, tried, and proven. Will we stay, rebuild, and reclaim our lives, trusting and knowing God is still with us, or walk away never to look back. I guess the question is: Do we really think God brought us this far to leave us?

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed..” – I Peter 1:7

P.S. - The class for 'Contagious Faith' starts tonight at 6:30pm on campus. Hope you can join us!